An Unexpected Lover
by noellelorraine
Summary: After the accident on Bella’s birthday, Edward leaves. Four months later, Jasper returns and falls in love with the girl he almost killed. M for strong language and most likely lemons later on.
1. Chapter 1

**An Unexpected Lover**

* * *

**Summary:**

**After the accident on Bella's birthday, Edward leaves. Four months later, Jasper returns and falls in love with the girl he almost killed.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Four months.

I'd spent four fucking months without Edward, alone, in my room. I kept hoping that he was going to come back for me one day, but he never did. I was just wishing on a shooting fucking star that he'd return and fix me up like I was, but I knew that I'd never see him again. It was clearly obvious that life wasn't going to get better once he miraculously appeared, because he wasn't going to.

I left the house to go get something to eat for Charlie and myself from the diner, and when I got there, I ordered my salad and his steak plate. He was seriously putting way too much strain on that heart of his. I grabbed the bag and paid, pulling out a smoke and leaving in my loud ass truck. I was used to the stares because I had to come here three or four times a week. Neither one of us really cooked, and everyone knew I was of legal age.

I gave Charlie his food when I got home and sat down on the couch with my salad. He liked it when I watched the game with him, so I did my best. My eyes followed the football being passed back and forth, but I wasn't really concentrating on that.

"I'm gonna go to bed. 'Kay, Dad?"

"Sure, Bells. G'night."

I rolled my eyes at how enveloped he was in the game and jogged up to my room. I stopped suddenly in the doorway, feeling like something, someone, was watching me. I did a quick sweep around my room, but no one was there. God, I was probably just imagining it.

I got undressed slowly, wondering what Edward would say about the changes I've made to myself. My now blonde hair and developing curves made all the difference to me. I altered whatever I could to bring upon a new start. I took up smoking, something I've always hated, and I drank myself away every weekend because Charlie was always hunting or fishing. I wore more makeup, and I straightened my hair frequently. People at school hardly recognized me anymore, and that's the way I wanted it.

I hopped into the shower, letting the hot water caress my body. I pulled out a loofah and massaged my skin with a strawberry scented body wash. After I finished washing up, I threw my head back and let the water moisten my long locks. I gently rubbed the shampoo and conditioner into my scalp and hair, then rinsed it all out. I felt a tear roll down my cheek and closed my eyes.

This is how it was whenever I thought about him.

I leaned against the tile of the shower and squatted down, covering my face in my hands. I cried until the water turned cold, and I got out, drying off as fast as I could. I hurried into my room and pulled on some old sweats and a tank top, using the towel to dry my hair. I jumped under the covers of my bed, remembering how it felt when I had cold arms wrapped around me, and I did my best to fall asleep.

The dreams that ensued consisted of Edward, and I could feel the cool of his body against mine as if it were real. There was no mistaking the sensation, and I jolted awake. Nothing. There wasn't a fucking thing in sight. Shit. I thought he had finally changed his mind. _Give it up, Bella! He's not your true love, obviously! _I did my best to listen to my inner mumblings and urged myself to go to sleep again.

The next time I woke, it was caused by the screaming coming from within me. Another bad fucking dream. I hadn't had one in close to two weeks, and I figured they'd gone away. That was just great. I ran my hand through my now dry hair and sighed, sitting up on the bed. Five o' clock. In the morning. On a Saturday. I got up and headed downstairs for breakfast. There was a note on the counter.

_Bella,_

_Harry and Billy wanted an early start today. There's supposed to be a ton of animals out this weekend since it's warming up. See you tomorrow._

_Love you, Charlie._

"Thanks for saying bye, Dad," I murmured sarcastically to myself, pulling down a box of cereal from the fridge.

I poured myself a bowl of Fruit Loops and grabbed a Bud out of the fridge. The perfect breakfast. I sat down at the table and ate in silence, thinking about nothing of importance, just reciting the prologue of Romeo and Juliet in my head to keep his name from coming to mind. I often did just that.

"What kind of breakfast is that?" I hear from behind me, and my first instinct is to break the half empty bottle of beer and get up as fast as I can.

When I see who it is, though, I walk over to the trashcan and throw it away. Grabbing the mop is the first thing I do. I just stare at any place but the waiting vampire as I clean up the mess I made. I should've recognized the voice, but I was too engrossed in Shakespeare's writing.

"What are you doing here?" I finally ask.

"I had to come see if you were okay. I couldn't take it any longer." The golden colored eyes were taunting me as they watched my every move.

"I'm doing just fine, thanks."

"Bella, I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am for-"

"Just stop, okay? I don't need your fucking apologies."

The cold skin touched mine, and I flinched away, not out of fear, but out of complete shock. "Isabella…"

"You've seen that I'm okay, so you can go now."

"You're not like this. I've… I've been watching you. You're a mess, and I just want to help."

"What? Are you a fucking stalker now? You try to kill me, then you come back and watch my every fucking move?!" I watched as dry sobs began to flow from the vampire. "Get out of my fucking house!" I screamed, falling to the floor and breaking down. "Get out!" I yelled again, but it came out as a jumbled mess, just like me as the tears fell furiously down my flushed cheeks.

Once again, I was back to where I started, just like I was every day. Except this time… This time, Jasper Whitlock Hale was standing in front of me, and he wasn't the person I wanted it to be.

* * *

**A/N: Like? Dislike? Review, please. (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**An Unexpected Lover**

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Jasper held me in his arms, and we both sobbed.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated in a whisper over and over.

I don't know how long we sat there, but my tears finally ran out. I looked up into his eyes and could see the sadness there behind them. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him close to me.

"I'm the one who's sorry. You didn't do anything wrong, alright? I shouldn't have said those things."

"Bella, I ruined your life, and for that, I am eternally scarred. I never meant to take Edward away from you."

I placed my hands on either side of his face and stared into his topaz pools. "You, sir, are _not _responsible for what Edward has done to me. Do you understand me?" He nodded, and I hugged him again. "Are the others here?"

"No, I came alone."

"What about Alice?"

"We…" He paused for a moment. "We're not together anymore."

I gasped. "Why?!"

"It's a story I'll tell you some other time, alright?"

I nodded. "Where is everyone else, though?"

"Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rose are in Alaska. Alice… She flew off to Paris."

It was silent for a moment before I whispered, "Edward?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

I sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyway. That's the past." I stood up and grabbed another beer out of the fridge.

"You've changed, Isabella."

"Yeah?" I popped the top off of the Bud and took a gulp.

"Why?"

"I wanted a new start."

He nodded. "I can accept that." I pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, taking a long drag to calm my nerves. "But why the smoking and alcohol?"

"One relaxes me, and the other helps me forget for a little while."

"There are other ways to do those things, Bella."

"That may be, but I'm perfectly fine using the things that are going to kill me eventually. I have nothing to really live for, you know?" Another puff.

"You have Charlie."

"He won't be around forever."

"You have your mom."

"Do you see her here? No. She doesn't even call me anymore."

"You have…"

"Nothing? Yeah."

He moved closer. "You have me."

"For now. But we both know you'll be out of here soon."

"Don't be so sure."

I took another drag. "What makes you think I want you here?"

"I'm an empath, remember? I know what you're feeling."

I laughed once without humor. "I'm sure you do." Another long drag.

"Want to know what you're feeling right now?"

"I think I can figure that shit out for myself, thanks."

"You're not as badass as you think you are, Bella," he stated, leaning against the counter across from me.

"You may be a empath, but you don't know what the hell I'm thinking. Don't pull that fucking Edward shit on me, okay?"

"There's no need to be so angry."

"There is when you've been through what I've been through."

"You don't know shit about what's happened to me in the last few months, so you can just stop with the attention-whore act, okay?!"

I dropped my cigarette and stared. After gaining my composure, I used a menacing voice and slowly said, "Who the _fuck _do you think you are?"

He stepped closer, and I could see his eyes turning darker. "I'm Jasper fucking Whitlock."

I stepped closer, too. "Yeah? Well, you can Jasper fucking Whitlock yourself out of my house."

"Last time I checked, I'm the mother fucking vampire. You don't tell me what I can and cannot do." Our noses were almost touching.

"What? You're saying that being a fucking monster is better than having blood rushing through your veins?"

"We both know I could have your blood rushing through me in a minute."

"You wouldn't let yourself do that. Think of the guilty fucking conscience you'd have and what Edward would do to you."

"I'm not afraid of either. I've killed before."

"Of course, you have. I wouldn't be surprised if your eyes were red instead of gold right now."

"Technically, they're not either at the moment."

"True. You probably want to sink your teeth into my luscious neck." I moved my hair out of the way and tilted my head to the side, revealing my pulsing artery.

"Quite the contrary, Isabella."

My eyes grew wide, and I knew instantly what he meant by the look on his face. He breathed against my lips, and I inhaled deeply. Shaking, I tripped my way out of his path, and he looked away. I ran a hand through my hair and gulped down all of my beer, grabbing another. It was quiet for a long while, and I swept up my cigarette ashes from when it fell to the floor. Still squatting on the ground, I began to cry.

"Bella?"

"Can you just leave? I can't have you here."

"I'm sure Charlie won't mind."

"I don't want you here, Jasper!" I leaned against the cabinets and pushed my blonde locks back. Quieter, I continued. "Just leave. Don't come back. I'll find some way to let you know when I'm ready."

"Ready to what?"

"Ready to talk to you. If I ever am."

"Oh." The still of the quiet overcame us again, and I reached for the Bud I had just pulled out, taking a long drink. "Here's my number," he finally told me, handing me a small sheet of paper which he just scribbled on in his perfect handwriting. "I'm always awake," he joked.

I just nodded, not acknowledging it. "Goodbye, Jasper."

He sighed. "Look, I didn't come back to fight, or argue, or whatever this shit is we're doing. I came back to help you move on with your life."

"Well, you're just making it worse. So just leave before I fucking make you."

A pained expression flashed across his face, and in moments, he was gone. Just like I wanted my memories to be.

* * *

**A/N: I know it's odd. The reason she's like this will most likely be revealed in the next chapter. Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**An Unexpected Lover**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Three weeks passed by agonizingly slow.

I couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone and call Jasper, though. I would not let myself. I had spent months building up my stamina so that I could make it through each day in one piece. Now that I had actually seen one of the Cullens, it bottomed out. I cried every morning on my way to school and every night before I went to bed. The hole opened itself up in my chest again at the mere thought of getting close to someone. I had isolated myself in my own world for so long, ignoring my friends and blowing off everyone. I engulfed myself in my own mind, believing that I was all alone ever since Edward left me. And well, I was.

The drinking became heavier after Jasper came to my house. I began popping open a Bud every day after school, thanking god that Charlie didn't even notice. I doubt he would even care anymore.

Another few weeks passed, and I began to question myself. Should I call him? I had picked up the phone a few times, but I always set it down. I always thought it was too soon.

I got a phone call towards the middle of the second month, though.

"Hello?" I answered the unknown caller.

"Bella, I can't keep waiting for you to call." Jasper.

"I said I'd call when I was ready."

"You're never going to call, then," he told me sadly.

I thought about it for a moment, then replied, "Bye, Jasper."

I hung up on the vampire and walked to my fridge. Yummy, another beer.

-----------

It'd been another three weeks since I had talked to Jasper, and it had been almost seven months since I'd had any communication with my mother.

Jasper hadn't called again, and I was beginning to give into my wants. I tried my best to resist. I couldn't, just could not get attached to another person, and the way he had looked at me scared me to death. He almost kissed me! I paced back and forth in the kitchen with the phone in my hand, wondering whether or not to call. All of a sudden, it rang, but it wasn't who I thought it'd be.

"Mom?"

"Is this Bella?" a male voice asked, and the night in the ballet studio came to mind.

"Y-yes."

"Are you Renee Swan's daughter?"

"Yes, I am."

I heard a sigh. "I am extremely sorry to inform you that your mother… She's passed away, honey."

"What?! How?! When?!" I screeched, tears forming in my eyes.

"Earlier this morning. She had a brain tumor. She's been in the hospital for many months, but she never told us she had a daughter. I am so very sorry."

"She… didn't tell you about me?"

"I'm sure it was because she was afraid."

"H-h-how did you get my number?"

"Her cell's phonebook. I'm going to let you go so that you can calm down and grieve properly. I apologize for what has happened, but she will be buried here if you have no problem with that."

"Let me talk to my dad first about it."

"Alright. I'll talk to you soon. Goodbye."

I hung up the phone and burst into tears, almost tearing my hair out by the roots. I ran to the fridge and opened it up. I stood there for a while, just staring at the beer, then I decided to change things up. I needed something much, much stronger. Closing the refrigerator door, I opened up the cabinets right next to it and pulled out the Everclear. Just what I needed. I drank the giant bottle as fast as I could, and I was as drunk as could be in a matter of minutes. I reached up and grabbed another bottle of the grain alcohol, downing it as well. I grabbed the rest of the alcohol down, drinking away my worries. A bottle of vodka was next, then two bottles of tequila, and then some whiskey. I lost count after that, and I soon blacked out into unconsciousness.

-----------

"She's coming to, Doctor!" I heard someone yell, and it sent chills down my spine.

"W-Where am I?" I asked, looking around at the sterility of the white room.

"The hospital, honey."

"What happened?"

"Your father found you on the floor when he got home from work. You had alcohol poisoning, dear."

"How long have I been here?"

"A couple of days. You've been waking up, but you were never really fully conscious. We have IVs hooked up and everything, so you're good to go. We just have to have you here while you're awake to see how you respond to everything."

My dad came in and gave me a long lecture, and then I told him why I did that. That Renee died. He began to cry, and he left to make funeral arrangements. He said he'd fly down there the next day and sort out everything.

"Miss Swan?" the nurse poked her head in hours later. "You have a visitor."

She opened the door, and Jasper walked in. "Hi," he greeted.

The nurse left, and I monotonously replied, "Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like total shit." My voice was flat, but only from exhaustion.

He sat on the edge of my hospital bed. "Is there anything at all that I can do?"

"Don't leave, okay?"

"I won't. I promise."

Twenty minutes of comfortable silence passed. He just ran his fingers through my hair, and I held his hand to my face.

"My mother died," I finally said.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I know you loved her so much."

"She had a brain tumor," I ignored him. "A fucking brain tumor."

"You don't have to talk about this…"

"She's gone!" I finally broke down, and he wrapped me in his arms as best as he could without setting the machines off with his coldness.

I couldn't believe all of the shit that was happening, but for once, I finally let myself be comforted by someone. I don't know how long we sat there, but the doctor and nurse came in to check out my stats and such.

"Mr. Hale, you need to leave," Dr. Addams told him.

"No! Jasper, you promised."

"Please, Doctor. She needs me," he begged, and the nurse got the doctor to give in.

They checked me out and said that I should stay overnight, but that I'd be released in the morning.

"So are you ready?" Jasper asked me.

"Yeah."

"Friends?"

"Of course. I'm really sorry I went berserk on you that day. I just have this thing that causes me to not get close to people. I haven't wanted to ever since he left. Consider yourself special."

"You want to get close to me? Even though I tried to kill you?"

"Jasper, there are some things you'll never understand, but if I have to, I'll spend every day trying to get you to."

His face lit up, and I smiled. "Like what?"

"I don't blame you at all for what happened on my birthday. I blame myself for the cut, and I blame Edward for overreacting. And you wouldn't understand how much I wanted to call you, how much I didn't want you to leave that day you came back, but I was scared to death that if I even got a little closer to you, you would leave forever."

"Thank you, Isabella." He kissed my hand, grinning. "You're not scared anymore."

It wasn't a question, but I answered anyway. "Not in the least."

"Good."

**A/N: Yay for Bella coming around. Ha. Review? :) **


End file.
